External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on UK’s Opposition
Leader Keir Starmer in the Parliament on Wednesday. The two leaders reaffirmed
the bipartisan commitment towards strengthening Bharat-UK relations.
Taking to his official handle on X, Jaishankar shared
details about his meeting.
“Delighted to meet UK’s Leader of Opposition Keir Starmer
in the Parliament. Value the bipartisan commitment in United Kingdom towards
strengthening our relationship. Our discussion covered bilateral aspects and
shared regional and global interests,” his post read.
Earlier, Jaishankar met UK’s Shadow Foreign Secretary
David Lammy, with the two leaders holding discussions on security and
development issues as well as bilateral cooperation.
“Pleased to meet Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy
this morning. A wide-ranging conversation on security and development issues,
as well as bilateral cooperation. Appreciated his perspectives and insights,”
the minister posted from his official X handle.
“Also thank Shadow Minister for Asia and the Pacific Catherine
West for joining on the occasion,” he added.
The minister will conclude his five-day visit to UK on
Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, he met the UK’s National Security
Advisor Tim Barrow and discussed regional and global challenges.
“Glad to meet UK NSA Tim Barrow. A good discussion on
pressing regional and global challenges,” the minister posted on X.
On Tuesday, Jaishankar met with his British
counterpart David Cameron and discussed progressing a Free Trade Agreement and
partnerships on defence, science and technology.
During the meeting, the two leaders reflected on the
strength of the UK-India relationship, including meeting the ambitions of the
UK-India 2030 Roadmap.
Bharat and UK are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement
or FTA, for which talks started in 2022. The 12th round of negotiations took
place between August 8 and 31 this year.
During his UK visit, Jaishankar acknowledged the
transformations in the world, UK, and the evolving India-UK relationship and
also emphasised the pivotal role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
shaping the nation’s trajectory.
Outlining the significant impact of PM Modi’s
initiatives over the last decade, Jaishankar emphasised that the cumulative
effect of these efforts has led to a socioeconomic revolution in Bharat.
Addressing the evolving Bharat-UK relationship, Jaishankar
expressed the need to reframe the partnership in light of the profound changes
in both nations.
He emphasised the importance of preparing for a
contemporary era and exploring new convergences to unlock the unrealized
potential between Bharat and UK.
Bharat and UK have a “growing bilateral partnership”,
the foreign ministry stated in a release earlier, noting that the two countries
launched a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.
ANI
